Newest Burke-class destroyer arrives

The Arleigh Burke-class destroyer Spruance has begun operating out of San Diego.

Less than a month after it was commissioned in Key West, Florida, the Navy's newest guided-missile destroyer, Spruance, has arrived at its permanent homeport of San Diego. The 505-foot vessel, which can handle two helicopters as well as fire dozens of Tomahawk cruise missiles, will operate out of Navy Base San Diego, south of the Coronado Bridge. The ship, which has a crew of 285, was built at Bath Iron Works in Maine, one of the country's main naval shipbuilders. Srpuance eventually will go on deployments to the western Pacific Ocean.

The ship is named as the late Adm. Raymond Spruance, one of the most revered figures of World War II. He was commander of Carrier Task Force 16 during the Battle of Midway, a turning point in the war.